“Let me reassure you that Sussex Police take all reports of crime seriously and if there is the potential to collect forensic evidence from the scene then someone will attend. Please do continue to report all crimes, no matter how small they seem as individual incidents may form part of a wider series of crimes that you are not aware of.”

PC Ball also offered 11 tips on what farmers can do to protect these properties from opportunistic thieves. They are:

1. Restrict access to your land and property with locked gates, using British Standard locks and high security closed-shackle padlocks.

3. A combination of good outside security lighting, CCTV and intruder alarms will deter most thieves but make sure they are regularly checked to ensure they will work when you need them.

4. Lock your windows and doors and remove keys from the locks keeping them out of sight.

5. Mark all valuable equipment, tools and other property with the name of your farm and the postcode – UV pens, engraving, stamping, tagging or forensic marking are all options to consider, but above all PLEASE make a note of all serial numbers along with details of make and model.